Various hangers have been used to hold bolts of fabric, and the most commonly used hangers are made of metal. Over a period of time, it has become well-recognized that such metal hangers suffer from numerous disadvantages. For example, metal racks require plating or painting to insure that the rack does not rust or otherwise oxidize so that fabric contacting oxidized areas of the rack does not become stained or soiled. Metal racks, which have a length and width great enough to accommodate large quantities of fabric, are quite heavy and expensive to manufacture. Metal racks which can accommodate such large quantities of fabric are desirably made of reinforced or strengthened members; otherwise the racks tend to become permanently deformed via bending.
Of course the more reinforcement needed for the rack, the greater the weight and shipping cost of the fabric which is typically shipped on the rack to the ultimate user. Where metal racks of a shorter length and width have been used, there is generally insufficient length in the rack to support the width of the bolt of fabric, and the bolt itself (rather than the rack) has a tendency to bend, fold or crease thereby resulting in damage to the fabric. In summary, the conventional metal racks are expensive to manufacture, are too heavy and thus increase shipping costs, and easily become permanently deformed thereby requiring early replacement.